1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vehicle and a method of controlling the vehicle. More specifically, the invention relates to a vehicle capable of being electrically driven, which includes a power-generating unit, a battery configured to be charged and discharged, a power converter configured to convert electric power of the power-generating unit into electric power of the battery, and convert electric power of the battery into electric power of the power-generating unit, and a smoothing capacitor connected to a power line between the power-generating unit and the power converter, and also relates to a method of controlling the vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
As one example of the above type of vehicle, there has been proposed an electrically driven vehicle including a battery, a motor for running the vehicle, an engine that generates power for running the vehicle, a generator that generates electric power using power of the engine, an inverter unit that consists of an inverter for driving the motor, and an inverter for driving the generator, which inverter is connected in parallel with the inverter for the motor, a converter that regulates the voltage of the battery and the voltage of the inverter unit, and a plug unit mounted at a position closer to the inverter unit than the converter (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-204363 (JP 2005-204363 A)). In the electrically driven vehicle, when a switch that permits the plug unit to be used is turned ON, electric power supplied from the battery is converted by the converter into AC 100V power, and supplied to the plug unit, provided that there is no abnormality in the system in a condition where the vehicle is stopped, and a sufficiently large amount of electric power is stored in the battery.
However, in the electrically driven vehicle as described above, the converter is connected to a circuit including the inverter unit even when the user wishes to use only the plug unit; therefore, the electric power supplied from the battery is wastefully consumed by the inverter unit, etc.